Mrs Kristin Edwards1
1James Cook University, Australia
Currently, there is limited understanding of aeromedical patient and service outcomes in Queensland due to a lack of linked data outcome analysis. Two recent studies explored these outcomes in a pilot study of Central Queensland: One study explored overall outcomes and one study focused on outcomes unique to suspected appendicitis (the most common cause of acute abdominal pain presentations to the ED and a common ED presentation from air ambulance transfer). The aim is to describe the value of aeromedical linked data for the providers, payers and planners of the service.
Methods:
Aeromedical data sources were linked to ED, hospital and death data sources by a unique patient identifier, constructing episodes called ‘aeromedical patients’ journeys’; the integrated, continuum of care outcomes that span multiple settings; prehospital and hospital based pre-flight, flight transport, after flight hospital inpatient and disposition. Referral pathways were determined by transfer movements in the Central Queensland service jurisdiction.
Results:
There were 13,977 flights for 10,864 patients; 2,289 patients (21%) had multiple flights (>2, <12 flights per person) of which 675 were during the same episode of care; towards definitive care (12%) or back-transfers (88%). Of the patients who were retrieved during the study period (2011-2015), 1,928 (14% overall study total) had died by 30-June 2019. The most frequent priority category tasks were lower urgency (P4 & P5). In total, 5.6% appendicitis patients were discharged from ED. Severe appendectomies were less likely to have longer request-to-activation wait times and had longer lengths of stay than minor complexity.
Conclusion:
Analysis of regional referral pathway variations can help design policies to better match community health needs with community service provision. Recommendations include: Queensland State-wide referral pathway analysis to help create a service capability model. Further analysis into high frequency aeromedical illnesses: stroke and cardiac pathologies
Biography:
Kristin is a registered nurse in Australia and America with a background in critical care nursing. Her PhD was a multiple methods project: data linkage of aeromedical, ED and inpatient hospital and death data and a qualitative study which interviewed 44 doctors and nurses in rural hospitals regarding their experiences in requesting aeromedical retrieval.